...an award-nominated Irish blog on Irish history and Irish politics-from today and yesterday:all 32 Counties !Updated a number of times each week . (Mirror site here)

" A wealth of information..."

"1169 And Counting is a wealth of information on our Republican past and present , and demonstrates how the Irish political landscape , like that of any nation, will never be a black and white issue..."

IRISH BLOG AWARDS 2017 - ooops! It seems that our entry application was "not completed in time to be considered.." (?) and, as such, we are not now in the running. But we wish all the best to the successful entrants and to the organisers, and we hope all goes well for them on the day!

Saturday, December 13, 2003

.......unable to verbally get the better of the Irish Rebel leaders Thomas MacDonagh and Darrell Figgis , RIC Chief William Harrell ended the discussion and instructed his men to move-in and seize the weapons ; by now there were only 19 of the 1000 rifles left to be seized ! The Brits were sickened , but the crowd that had gathered to watch the scene were delighted , and laughed and cheered .......

Word of the incident had spread at this stage and a large number of the public decided to walk alongside the British forces , laughing and jeering at them . When the procession was about three miles from Dublin city centre , they were joined by about fifty more members of the ' Kings own Scottish Borderers ' ('KOSBIES') who fell in behind their colleagues .

Likewise , dozens of men , women and children - out for a Sunday walk - had heard about the " disappearing rifles " and joined with their neighbours in walking beside the Brits , poking fun at them . It being a Sunday afternoon , families were out in force in the city and were lined-up along the Quays , having heard that the British military detachment was headed that way : people spilled-out from the old tram terminus on Bachelors Walk to join in the slagging ....... (MORE LATER).

WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :

war and peace in rebel Cork , in the turbulent years 1916-21.

By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.

THE START.......

"....... John Redmonds recruiting crew had got one possible new member - a local musician named Paddy ; they took him on a pub-crawl and were about to place him into one of their cars . I went over and pulled him back by his arm ....... "

" The recruiting Sergeant looked at me and my comrades and said - " He is our recruit . Do ye know what ye're doing ? " I answered for my comrades -- " Just now you had one recruit . Now you have no recruit . If you go further into the matter with us you will find that you may be minus more than recruits . "

The Sergeant leaned over one of the cars . A whispered consultation and we were left the victors , with a new recruit who later proved himself a good soldier of the IRA . As Redmonds crew drove off , we could not forbear a derisive cheer . The local ( IRA ) company soon reached a strength of thirty men . They drilled regularly and exercised by night and day . Arms were sadly lacking - the shotgun loaded with buckshot was the only firearm .

Across a road or street it was effective enough , elsewhere it was not . Even the shotguns were scarce . To make good the deficiency , about twenty pikes were forged . Beautifully fashioned they were , by local tradesmen . Of little practical value , yet they showed the spirit of the men who bore them , and demonstrated the desire to be free . "

-- " There is no such thing today as an Irishman . One is either a citizen of the Irish Free State or a citizen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland . Irishmen as such cease to exist after the partition . "

By George , George ! What a wheeze of an idea - if you can't physically annihilate us , just will us out of existence ! Thats the mentality on which the sun never sets , eh , Mr. Marshall ....... ?

Writing in the (then) current issue of ' The Church of Ireland Gazette ' , Professor John A. Murphy of University College Cork stated that " peace - not unity " should be what he termed " the national goal . Unification is the enemy of peace ."

The nutty Professor stated that " A proper functioning Anglo-Irish Agreement (by which he meant the 1985 Hillsborough Treaty) should be proclaimed as the final settlement of the national question . "

Those opposed to the Hillsborough Treaty were " fanatics , demagogues and intimidators . "

Friday, December 12, 2003

.......a 'shouting-match' , a verbal disagreement , was underway between RIC Chief William Harrell and Irish Rebel leaders Thomas MacDonagh and Darrell Figgis ; the 'authority' of the Brits to demand that the Irish Volunteers hand over their weapons was in dispute - the armed Brits were watching developments with interest , as was a large crowd on the footpaths . The group of armed Irish Republicans , however , had their own plan .......

As the verbal disagreement continued , Republicans at the very back of the gathering simply walked away in the opposite direction with their weapons under their coat ! Other men in the Republican contingent handed their weapons to known members of the public who , again , walked off with the equipment under their coats .

Meanwhile , after about half-an-hour of trying to get the better of MacDonagh and Figgis , RIC Chief Harrell gave up and ordered his men , and the British military , to move-in and seize the guns -- they got 19 of the 1000 rifles , the rest having been spirited away ! The Brits were not amused , but the crowd that had gathered to watch the confrontation cheered , clapped and laughed at the RIC and the British KOSBIES , as the two forces formed-up for the march back into the city centre ....... (MORE LATER).

WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :

war and peace in rebel Cork , in the turbulent years 1916-21.

By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.

THE START.......

"....... 'Redmonds Volunteers' held an after-mass meeting to gain recruits ; one man , a local musician named Paddy , stepped forward to examine the pipes . Redmonds crew talked to the man , as he was their only prospect ......."

" Finally , the entire recruiting unit retired to the nearest pub , taking Paddy with them . Two of my comrades entered the pub to watch the proceedings . They returned with the news that Paddy had accepted the Saxon shilling . That was bad news . The four of us waited outside . Presently all appeared , with Paddy in their midst , playing the pipes .

A few pints of porter had dulled the voice of reason . The group repaired to the second pub in the village - more music and more porter . At length they all emerged . They were going back to their base ; two motor cars stood ready . Paddy still clutched the pipes , and made some attempt to play them . One of the group remarked - " Ah well , we had not a very profitable day , only one recruit ." The car doors were opened , and all seated themselves , except two - one held a door open while the other , the Sergeant , took Paddy's arm , saying : " Step in , Paddy . "

Never did I see such horror on a man's face as I did on Paddy's . We stood with our backs to the wall of the pub - Paddy's eyes turned and looked at us appealingly . He was now quite sober ; the shock had roused him to the danger of his position . I was the first to reach him . I grasped his arm and jerked him away from Redmonds men ........"(MORE LATER).

NOT A MAN TO BE 'suited'-up AND PLACED IN A BRITISH OR FREE STATE ADMINISTRATION : a synopsis of one Irish Rebel - AUSTIN STACK ---->

Austin Stack was born in Tralee , County Kerry , in 1880 . In 1904 , he captained the Kerry team which won the All-Ireland Final , and for many years afterwards he held a post on the Kerry Board of the GAA .

Arrested with Con Collins on 21st April 1916 while planning an attack on Tralee RIC Barracks in an attempt to rescue Roger Casement . He was court-martialled and sentenced to death , but this was commuted to twenty years penal servitude . He was released in the general amnesty of June 1917 , and became active in the Irish Volunteers again .

He was elected Secretary of Sinn Fein , a position he held until his death . His health was shattered due to the number of prison-protests and hunger strikes for political status that he undertook . In the 1918 General Election , while a prisoner in Crumlin Road Jail in Belfast , he was elected to represent West Kerry in the First(all-Ireland) Dail .

The Brits sent him off to Strangeways Prison in Manchester , from where he escaped in October 1919 . During the 'Black and Tan War' , as Minister for Home Affairs , he organised the Republican Courts which replaced the British 'legal' system in this country . He rejected the Treaty of Surrender in 1921 and , following a short fund-raising/public relations tour of America , returned to Ireland to fight on the Republican side in the Civil War .

In the general round-up of Irish Republican leaders in April 1923 (during which Liam Lynch was shot dead by Free State troops) Stack , the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Rebel forces , was arrested in a farmyard in the Knockmealdown Mountains in County Tipperary . This was four days after Lynch's death . Imprisoned in Kilmainham Jail in Dublin , he took part in the mass hunger-strike by Republican prisoners in October 1923 , which was his 5th hunger-strike in 6 years .

Shortly after the end of that forty-one day hunger-strike , in November 1923 , he was released with hundreds of other political prisoners . He married Una Gordon in 1925 . In April 1929 , at forty-nine years of age , he entered the Mater Hospital in Dublin for a stomach operation . He never recovered and died two days later , on 27th April 1929 . He is buried in the Republican Plot , Glasnevin Cemetary , in Dublin .

A man of no compromise , because the issue is not one to be compromised over . Its graves like the one that Austin Stack is buried in that Adams and his crowd of outlaw pets are scurrying over to build their careers .

Thursday, December 11, 2003

.......on that Sunday afternoon , the Republicans were marching , from Howth , into Dublin City when their path was blocked by about one-hundred-and-fifty armed British troops and 'policemen' , under the Command of Assistant Commissioner William Harrell , who demanded that the Irish Rebels hand over their weapons .......

Two of the Rebel leaders , Thomas MacDonagh and Darrell Figgis , left the main body of armed Republicans and marched over to Harrell and told him it was their understanding that he (Harrell) had no legal authority to issue such a demand !

While RIC Chief Harrell issued chapter and verse of how , and from whom , he derived his 'authority' , the two Irish Republicans were quoting him chapter and verse of why it was that his 'authority' was not valid in Ireland ; Harrell's RIC colleagues were lined-up on the road about ten feet behind him and the British 'KOSBIES' were , in turn , lined-up behind the RIC men - both groups were concentrating on the verbal sparring-match between Harrell , MacDonagh and Figgis .

But the group of Irish Republicans , standing in military formation behind MacDonagh and Figgis , were not ....... (MORE LATER).

WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :

war and peace in rebel Cork , in the turbulent years 1916-21.

By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.

THE START.......

".......the 'National Volunteers' split ; the majority stayed with John Redmond and prepared themselves to fight with the British in the mistaken belief that , by so doing , they would achieve 'Home Rule' for Ireland . Those that left re-grouped as the 'Irish Volunteers ' , to be known later as the Irish Republican Army....... "

" Nothing daunted , this local prop of empire announced an after-mass recruiting meeting for a certain Sunday . A doctor from Macroom , a 'Clerk of the Crown and Peace' from Cork , a British Army Captain , a recruiting Sergeant , and a British Army piper awaited the people outside the Chapel gates .

The people stood around and waited while the piper played some warlike music . The visitors hoped that perhaps the Parish Priest , Father O'Donohue , might preside at the meeting . He came striding down to the gate , a tall imperious man . Two approached him just outside the gate , but he brushed them aside with a contemptuous gesture of his hand , and walked quickly home without looking back .

The local prop of empire introduced them himself . An audible silence persisted ,then up stood the 'Clerk of the Crown and Peace' and told of the atrocities of the Huns and introduced the British Army Captain who had slain legions of them . The Captain held up a captured German rifle for inspection . He told how the Germans came in waves , in masses . He and his comrades mowed them down but still they came .

When I was leaving , the Germans were coming stronger than ever . I thought it a very poor inducement to a prospective recruit !

Our Volunteer Company had gone to exercise near Macroom that day . With three other locals I had contrived to stay for the after-mass empire meeting . The meeting ended and nothing remained but to enrol the recruits : no-one stepped forward , but one man hung around the piper as if fascinated by the pipes . This young man was known as a splendid player of the flute , but had never handed the pipes .

The recruiting Sergeant approached and spoke to the young man whose name was Paddy......."(MORE LATER).

....... A Jury in Abbeville , Louisiana , in the United States , yesterday (ie Friday , 7th February , 1986) awarded one million dollars in damages to an eleven-years young boy , who was molested by a priest , Father Gilbert Gauthe , now in jail for sexually abusing three dozen alter boys .

The boy's parents , Glenn and Faye Gastal , refused 'out of court' settlements and sought twelve million dollars in their lawsuit against the Catholic Church because , they said , it harboured the priest even after learning that he was a child molester . The predominantly Catholic jury also awarded the boy's parents 250,000 dollars .

The abuse started when the boy was seven-years young . Father Gilbert Gauthe was sentenced to twenty years in prison last October (ie 1985) after admitting he molested the children at Saint John Parish Church in the community of Esther . The Lafayette Diocese has settled lawsuits with thirteen families against Father Gilbert Gauthe for a reported five-and-a-half million dollars , with not one of those thirteen cases going to trial .

These are the same self-righteous hypocrites that , at the drop of a Bishop's hat , will , and have , condemned Irish men and women for challenging , and seeking to change , the political and social system in Ireland . A corrupt system which nurtures a corrupt Church .......

Wednesday, December 10, 2003

In the early afternoon of Sunday , 26th July , 1914 , a consignment of over one-thousand rifles and ammunition for same was landed at Howth harbour , in Dublin , and unloaded by the newly-formed ' Irish Volunteers ' , assisted by members of Na Fianna Eireann . On its way in to Dublin city , the Republican convoy was halted by a force of about fifty British RIC 'policemen' and over one-hundred British soldiers from the ' Kings Own Scottish Borderers ' , known as the ' Kosbies ' .

A large crowd of civilians gathered to watch the confrontation ; the Assistant British RIC Commissioner , William Harrell , approached the Republicans and demanded that their weapons be handed over ....... (MORE LATER).

WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :

war and peace in rebel Cork , in the turbulent years 1916-21.

By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.

THE START.......

"....... Unionist leader Edward Carsonformed the ' Ulster Volunteers ' to fight against 'Home Rule' for Ireland ; the ' Irish Republican Brotherhood ' set up the 'National Volunteers ' in response . John Redmond , always looking to increase his career prospects , wanted on to the new body's Committee - he brought with him thousands of new members ....... "

" I have said that the National Volunteers , or ' Redmond's Volunteers ' , as they were called , became very strong numerically when the political party gained control . Age or youth were not considered in enlistment . I was myself a member at the age of thirteen . We looked an imposing body in the dusk of the evening when viewed from a considerable distance . My comrade-in-arms was a Mr. Twomey , a prosperous farmer of about sixty years . He showed his prosperity around his waist and should have started his military career as a general .

We drilled nearly every evening and had a sergeant-major of the Irish Guards regiment of the British Army as instructor . A splendid instructor he was , and if he had had the necessary material would quickly have made soldiers of us . He had my great sympathy . Thus we drilled and paraded for a time , about one-hundred strong ; then , one evening , twenty men - my uncle , brother and myself included , stood apart . We were the ' Irish Volunteers ' , later to become known as the Irish Republican Army .

The remainder continued to soldier on for some little time . One Sunday morning they paraded with their band . The local committee spokesman announced that their destination was a recruiting meeting in Macroom . The band struck up a martial air and moved off on hearing the command . The 'National Volunteers' did not stir . When they moved again it was to disperse and go home , never to assemble again . The big drummer of the band looked back , stopped , unbuckled his drum and let it roll down the hill . Excepting the local spokesman , no one went to the meeting . "(MORE LATER).

F G + L C D TV.......

[from ' New Hibernia ' magazine , April , 1986]

In 1986 , the late Jim Mitchell ( Fine Gael ) was the Free State Minister for Telecommunication ; Jim was educated in St. James's CBS School in Dublin , the Vocational School in Inchicore , the College of Commerce in Rathmines and Trinity College , Dublin .

He was a member of Dublin Corporation from 1974 - 1981 , during which time he was 'Lord Mayor' of Dublin from 1976 to 1977 . Before he became a professional suit , our Jem worked in the transport section of Guinness.

Anyhow , in 1986 the bould Jim lashed R T E , stating that their news and current affairs programmes were pre-occupied with " bad news and negative stories , natural and man-made disasters . I'm fed up with R T E accentuating the negative . " (This was during the 'reds under the beds' period , when the Blueshirts were convinced that everyone was out to get them).

So Fine Gael would prefer 'dumb-down', or LCD (Lowest Common Denominator) TV ; game-shows , cartoons , 'Barney' etc- keep the voters ignorant , stupid and ill-informed . That way (apparently by Fine Gael's logic) they'll keep voting for them . Not that you have to be ignorant , stupid and ill-informed to vote for Fine Gael .

Tuesday, December 09, 2003

1971 PRISON BREAK ; ' KANGAROO'S ' in the Six Counties ....... !

.......less than three weeks after the nine I R A men escaped from Crumlin Road Jail in Belfast , three other I R A prisoners used much the same method and also successfully escaped from the same prison ! A song in commemoration of the two jail-breaks was penned .......

OVER THE WALL.......

Now the governor came down with his face in a twist and said " Line up those lads while I check out me list , " but nine of the lads did'nt answer at all and the warder said " Please Sir, they're over the wall ."

The security forces were shook to the core so they barred every window and bolted each door , but all their precautions were no use at all for another three prisoners jumped over the wall !

Then the news reached old Stormont , Brian Faulkner turned pale when he heard that more men had escaped from his jail , said he- " Now we'll have an enquiry to call , and we'll get Edmund Compton to whitewash the wall ."

( Brian Faulkner was , at the time , the British 'Home Affairs Minister' for the Six Counties , and Edmund Compton was the Brit 'suit' put in charge of telling the media that "torture would never happen in a British jail .")

[END].

WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :

war and peace in rebel Cork , in the turbulent years 1916-21.

By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.

THE START .......

".......some of the Irish people were fooled by their politicians into believing that " the floor of the house " is the only place to secure Irish independence - ' Home Rule ' for fighting with the Brits was on offer ......."

" Carson's threat to resist ' Home Rule ' with his 'Ulster Volunteers' gave Irishmen the opportunity of forming 'The National Volunteers' , ostensibly to oppose Carson . In reality , 'The National Volunteers' were established by the Irish Republican Brotherhood who saw the opportunity for arming and drilling a body of men to fight for the complete independence of Ireland .

As this body grew in strength , John Redmond , Leader of the Irish Party in Westminster , demanded representation on its committee . This was granted to him and the numerical strength of 'The National Volunteers' increased tenfold . On the outbreak of the 'world war' in the beginning of August 1914 , John Redmond offered them body and soul to Britain .

Moreover , he started a recruiting campaign throughout the country and , aided by the daily press , and his own party organisation , together with lying propaganda , soon reaped a red harvest . Thousands volunteered , and , as was always the case , many found graves in the front-line of Britain's battlefields . Poor lads , they thought they were dying for Ireland . " (MORE LATER).

DELIVER US.......

[from ' In Dublin ' magazine , 15th May , 1986 , page 32]

A Padre Mauro , an Italian Franciscan priest in Nicaragua , stated --

-- " The (Catholic) Church delivered the poor as obedient servants to their rulers . The Church had the moral authority that the poor would not dare question . The Church should beg the forgiveness of the poor , throughout the world , for what they allowed to happen to them . If the Church is not with the poor now they will be pushed aside . "

Ireland or Nicaragua - the Church , as an institution , in order to preserve its own power , will take the side of the State . They are no better than the politicians they cosy up to , and deserve the same contempt .

.......FROM EVIL ---->

[from ' New Hibernia ' magazine , June , 1986 , page 15]

Between the 15th and 18th Centurys , the Catholic Church was burning , torturing and hanging men , women and children for " associating with the devil . " A pamphlet was issued by the Holy Sea , called ' Malleus Maleficorum ' (' Hammer of Witches ') which was used as a 'guide' by the Catholic Church in the most appropriate manner to use to dispatch a 'witch' !

A heartless way to integrate yourself with the establishment - prey on the superstitions of the upper class and butcher the poor " for their own salvation . "

Monday, December 08, 2003

1971 PRISON BREAK ; ' KANGAROO'S ' in the Six Counties ....... !

....... 16th November , 1971 - the nine Irish Republican prisoners escaped from Crumlin Road Jail in Belfast ; two of them were captured by the Brits in County Tyrone , but the other seven could not be found . A press-conference was organised for Dublin.......

The seven men exposed the torture they received from the British and the conditions that their captors held them in . Within about only two weeks of what became known as the escape of ' The Crumlin Kangaroo's ' , it happened again !

On 2nd December , 1971 , three I R A men in (the same) Crumlin Road Jail -- Martin Meehan , 'Dutch' Doherty and Hugh McCann-- tied some bed-sheets together , fashioned a 'hook' for the top sheet and successfully escaped from the prison ! As is usual in these events , it was'nt long before a song commemorating the escapes was penned ---

---

OVER THE WALL

In Crumlin Road Jail all the prisoners one day
took out a football and started to play ,
And while all the warders were watching the ball
nine of the prisoners jumped over the wall !

Over the wall , over the wall ,
Who would believe they jumped over the wall ?
Over the wall , over the wall ,
It's hard to believe they jumped over the wall !

Now the warders looked on with the greatest surprise
and the sight that they saw brought tears to their eyes ,
For one of the teams was not there at all
they all got transferred and jumped over the wall !

(MORE[final three verses]LATER).

WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :

war and peace in rebel Cork , in the turbulent years 1916-21.

By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.

THE START.......

"....... my father would talk about his friends , all Irish Republicans - Father O'Growney , Padraig Pearse , 'Rooney' , William Bulfin ; all proud men , determined to remove the British ....... "

" Here and now I must say that every effort should be made from school , platform , and pulpit , to point out to young men the immorality and disgrace of fighting in foreign armies . I think the name 'the fighting Irish' is the greatest insult ever offered to our race .

It implies that we fight just for the fun of it . Alas for the poor lads who died in the Tugela Valley fighting against the Boers , against Zulus and other weak people . If only they had fought for those oppressed peoples - " their graves we would keep where the Fenians sleep . "

And that brings me to the greatest slaughter of our young men in the service of Britain , during the world war of 1914 - 1918 . The politicians , whom my uncle used to describe so aptly , were the cause of the slaughter . These traffickers in blood who maintained that " the floor of the House " was the place to win Irish independence [personal note - sound familiar ?] shamelessly sent the youth of Ireland to the shambles .

The unfortunate people had been bewildered for a long time previously . A 'Home Rule Bill' was dangled before them as " independence "......."(MORE LATER).

SINGING.......

[from ' AP/RN , ' 4th June , 1992 , page 6]

....... The 'Nationalist' politicians who participated in the Stormont 'Parliament' were only able to steer through one single piece of legislation between 1921 and 1972 ; ' The Wild Bird Act 1931 ' !

Was it anything to do with the Ostrich ? Burying your head in the sand and all that .......

British journalists attending the 'Eurovision Song Contest' in Luxembourg were annoyed at their "low standard hotel", so they done what they always do - dump on the Irish !

The Brit scribblers contacted the management of the near-by 'Holiday Inn' hotel , where the Irish delegation were staying , and told the hotel bosses that the Irish were " a security risk " and suggested to the hotel'suits' that the 'Paddies' be evicted !

However , the management at the 'Holiday Inn' told the Brits that they were "talking rubbish" and that they had no problem with the Irish and did not view them as " a security risk ."

Typical Brit arrogance . Well they better get over it - they're gonna lose more than a song-contest .......

Sunday, December 07, 2003

1971 PRISON BREAK ; ' KANGAROO'S ' in the Six Counties ....... !

.......a second attempt to escape from Crumlin Road Jail in Belfast was set to take place on 16th November 1971 - nine Irish Republican internees were picked , and arrangements were put in place by the then IRA for the speedy transport of the men across the border .......

On that date - 16th November 1971 - a football match was organised , as usual , and the prison-screws were happy enough to have something going-on to distract them from their miserable jobs ; not to be distracted , however , were the nine men -- as the football match was underway , an I R A unit had parked a couple of cars on the Antrim Road and were already inside the barbed-wire perimeter fence , having cut through same .

Rope-ladders were unfurled and thrown over the prison-wall . The nine men climbed up the ladders and down the other side , got into the waiting cars and drove off at high speed towards the border . In County Tyrone , near Omagh , two of the escaped prisoners - Chris Keenan and David Mullan - were caught by the Brits , but there was no sign of the other seven men . It later transpired that they had sought and received sanctuary in a Cistercian Monastery near the border .

The escape made international headlines , and the British Government were further embarrassed when the seven escapees held a press conference in Dublin .......(MORE LATER).

WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :

war and peace in rebel Cork , in the turbulent years 1916-21.

By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.

THE START.......

".......before radio and television , our people traded stories and songs around the fire , and played bowling or football ; the neighbours would meet in one house of a night , and another house the next night ....... "

" In the harvest ,at the threshing dance each night , a haggard was threshed . Never did I attend one of these functions where songs alternated with dances without hearing a national song expressing the peoples' hope that one day they would see Ireland free . My father , a member of the Gaelic League , always attended the Oireachtas . He knew Father O'Growney and Padraig Pearse .

He and my mother went out on a tender from Cobh to meet O'Growney's funeral from Los Angeles in 1903 . Both O'Growney and Rooney worked like Pearse , but death intervened . They had worn themselves out early in life working almost alone at the stupendous task of regenerating the soul of Ireland . With a few others , they must be regarded as the apostles of both the separatist movement and the language revival .

Another man who died before his time was William Bulfin , but he knew our day was not far off . His one book , ' Rambles in Eireann ,' helped a great deal to teach self-respect to Irishmen and may profitably be read in these times , when we hear of Irishmen fighting as mercenaries . "(MORE LATER)>

Young Fine Gael said they knew what was wrong with their party -- " a lack of a unifying political philosophy or sense of direction . "

That was in 1984 - almost twenty years ago . YESSIR , big changes since then .......

.......DAY ---->

" Day after day , week after week , month after month , the Nation that gave Magna Carta , Habeas Corpus and Due Process to the world imprisons hundreds of innocent citizens of Northern Ireland (sic) without warrant , charge or trial , often on the evidence of the rankest hearsay and deception .

We read the reports of torture with horror as they describe the efforts of British intelligence to learn the secrets of the I R A by methods no civilised people can countenance . "